On, November 21, 2017, heaven gained a soldier with the passing of John R. Hunt, Jr. in Fayetteville, North Carolina.


John (Johnny) was born in Roxboro, N.C. in 1943. He was the oldest son of five siblings to Josephine and John R. Hunt, Sr. John graduated from Person County High School in 1961 where he enjoyed hunting, fishing and football, but was known as an awesome baseball player with a vicious curveball. After high school, John hit the road and headed to New Jersey to experience the big city life.


Two years later, he began his military career by joining the U.S. Army Infantry 82nd Airborne Division. He then moved to the Adjutant General’s Corps career field, specializing first in Military Personnel then in Military Postal Services.

In 1964, John married the mother of his children, Mildred W. Hunt. From this union was born John, Tracy, and Tisha. For the next 27 years, John and his family travelled across various states and spent a large amount of time living in Heidelberg, Germany. In 1983, he received an Associate's degree at El Paso Community College in Texas. He was 20 hours short of receiving his Bachelor's degree. John was appointed as Command Sergeant Major of Postal Group Europe in 1985. During this time, he served as President of Promotion Boards, was a member of the major awards committee and helped soldiers resolve housing and relocation issues.


Upon retirement from the Army in 1989, John returned to Heidelberg, Germany in a civilian capacity, as the Regional Postal Director, where he established procedures to provide mail support services to troops deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Storm. In May 1993, John joined the National Institutes of Health as Director, Division Mail and Courier Services and was honored as Best in Government as Mail Manager of the Year. He developed and implemented operating procedures designed to handle, dispatch and deliver mail to the Army located across Europe.


John married Willie A. Hunt in 1993. They resided in Heidelberg, Germany, Alexandria, VA and later relocated to Madison, AL. He retired from civilian life in 2005 to become an avid golfer. In his free time, he enjoyed visiting casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Most that knew him know his game of choice was Poker. In late 2010, John moved to Fayetteville, NC to continue his retirement. He was excited to return to Ft. Bragg, where his military career began.


John leaves to cherish his memory a son, John R. Hunt, III; two daughters, Tracy Hunt-White (Don), and Tisha H. Edmonds (Claude); eight grandchildren; Amber Hunt, Tadarius Hunt, M’Tari Hunt , Ja’iere Hunt, Me’lange Hunt, Nathan White, Samir Hunt, and Brandon Edmonds. He leaves behind five siblings, Jessica H. Bradley, Tony M. Hunt, Janifer H. Parker, Cherie H. Sutton, E. Pamela Hunt and a host of other relatives and friends. John also leaves behind his best friend of 45 years, Jimmie Strickland.